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NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL: LIGHTNING v PENGUINS

May 16, 2016

Jon Cooper

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Game Two

Q. Is Stralman still in indefinite mode or available to play?
COACH COOPER: Indefinite until -- what's the line?

Q. Until he's not?
COACH COOPER: I liked your tenacity, though. You're just sticking with it.

Q. When he does come back, he hasn't played a game in a few months, how would you plan on incorporating him?
COACH COOPER: Got to just wait until he comes back before that happens. Think about tonight first.

Q. Vasi in net?
COACH COOPER: God, you're just --

Q. You're not going to answer that one?
COACH COOPER: Do I need to?

Q. No.
COACH COOPER: You'd like it for what reason?
I would say he's probable, if we're using football terms.

Q. You were talking about Steven Stamkos the other day, about having him now with the team and moving forward. Are you surprised at all with how he has handled going through this and how he, you know, remains seemingly upbeat about working through the process and getting -- doing as much as he can and being with it for when that moment comes. He's had some terrible luck, right? He's a guy who's had some stuff happen to him.
COACH COOPER: I think, unfortunately for Stammer, he's kind of gone through this before. Completely different injury, but something that's kept him out for a prolonged amount of time. You never want to have to go through that or learn from that, but I'm sure what happened 2011, as frustrating as that was for him, it's probably helped him deal with this.
I think the one big difference is that was early in the year. This is in the playoffs, and this is the time that you -- I mean, you play to play in this time. Especially how valuable -- I think I've said this before. We don't get to the playoffs without Steven performing the way he does, and I know he wants to be a part of this as much as we all want him to be a part of this. But he's waiting for -- he's got to wait for his health to get better.
But he has been -- just he's a pro. He's a great kid. You just feel bad for him that he has to go through this. But I think that maybe 2011 has probably, unfortunately, helped him in a weird way to help get through this.

Q. [No microphone] guy, I'm sure, will be playing with Victor Hedman. I know he was a really good player before he got paired with Stralman. What's impressed you or what struck you about how he's able to play his game still without Anton being there? Seemed like he was kind of a calming force.
COACH COOPER: Yeah, the one thing -- what's been impressive with Hedman is the fact that he's kind of played with -- he's played with everybody. Whether he was paired with Matt Carle or Coburn or gets out there and shifts with other guys, he's kind of -- he's kind of the guy that's just the glue back there on the D side of things.
Couple with that the assignments he has to deal with and the players he's got to play against, it's really impressive to watch how he's grown. You look through last year's playoffs, he primarily was paired with Stralman the whole time. But this year he's had to adapt, and I think that's just the sign of a growing, mature player that's just taken another step in his career.
Regardless who he's playing with, he's going to make that player better and make the team better. He's just done an unreal job so far in these playoffs.

Q. Victor -- there was a play in Game 1, where Tom Kuhnhackl tried to chip a puck by him, and Victor kind of turned back and recovered and knocked it off his stick. Do you recall the play? Just how common is something like that for Victor? Is that just his natural wing span, or is it him just reading the play?
COACH COOPER: I've used this line before, but Victor is the only guy that can beat out his own icing. That's what makes him special is, if there is an error that happens in the game, he has the ability to make up for it, and that's what makes him dangerous because he can play the game -- he can play the speed game. He can play the strength game, the position game. He just can do all those things. But because -- that's a really good one. [Background noise]. Are they wrestling? Did both teams just meet up back there?
But the mere fact he just can play the game so many different ways and his -- the one thing that really helps him out is his reach. So even though his legs help him get in there, then he's got that extra, you know, his height and his stick length and all of that. It just cuts down the time and space for players. That's why he's hard to play against.

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